Sometimes, there IS no place like home...
This week has been oppressive. On my spirit, my mind, probably on my health. So, I was celebrating the fact that it was the Friday of a long weekend. I took Owen and Harry to the video store and I picked up a copy of the Wizard of Oz. I have strange intentions with it, involving Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. When one is alone with three small children, you can reach new heights of oddness just to prove that you have not reached new levels of banality.
Earlier that day, I was watching television in Owen's room (the kids had colonized the livingroom), fighting the slow languid blinks of my thick and weighty eye lids. Owen called me down a couple of times to "come see!"Come see!" I could only imagine...a castle made in the middle of the kitchen floor, constructed out of wheat germ, flour and corn meal? How about a reproduction of a Jackson Pollock done with ketchup, mustard and soy sauce? The possibilites were all terrifying. Sleep beaconed so sweetly. I popped awake and came downstairs. In the livingroom sat a laundry basket. In the laundry basket, was...laundry silly. Clean. And folded rather awkwardly. This is why Owen was calling me. He gathered the clean clothes from the dryer, brought them upstairs and folded them. I looked in the basket in rapt amazement. I've never once asked the kids to do these sort of chores - so it was not the result of endless hours of fruitless nagging and cajoling. This was far more precious than a plaster hand cast. I was the quintessential mother in the Sylvain commercials. Cue poignant music and that look of utter pride. My kid folded my laundry.
Now how to I encourage him to start scrubbing toilets?
As I type, Owen and Harry are glued to Wizard of Oz. It was my absolute favorite movie as a 7 year old. Maybe I'll get to slip on some Pink Floyd later. Owen asked that I turn it off so he could listen to the movie. How could I resist?
Given the complete and total insanity that surrounds me at work (of which I am afraid that very little is exaggeration. My students, thankfully have been a consistent source of sanity. The responsible grown-ups that I work with however, have completely lost touch with reality. The result? Heather will be unemployed at the end of the school year...oh yeah. )
So its nice to be here, and actually regard my little messy house and my source of sanity. Thats a contradiction I can live with. There IS no place like home...
Three Years
1 year ago
9 comments:
I would have cried a little if my child had presented me with folded (albeit awkwardly folded) laundry.
Oh. My. God. Owen is my hero.
I was 19 before I saw all of The Wizard of Oz. Those monkeys! Scared the bejesus out of me.
(You know that crazy department politics was high on the list of what drove my husband to bail on his tenure-track teaching position and become a hospital administrator, don't you?)
With that kind of job situation, one never knows whether to say "sorry to hear that" or "congratulations." I'll say the congrats, with the belief that doors are opening to something better for you, Heather.
The flying monkeys were the source of many childhood nightmares, but what a great movie! I took my son to the stage play a while back--he was enraptured!
What a great kid! It's awesome that he thought to fold the laundry.
Speaking of flying monkeys, Abby started writing a story about monkeys last night...18 Monkeys Sitting in a Tree...because her teacher calls them the 18 monkeys.
Many mention of flying monkeys...the kids did not seem to register...hwat with talking fish and sponges, I suppose a flying monkey is not all that weird. Come to think of it...they freaked me out when I was was a kid too!
Thanks for the well wishes with the job. I think I'll stick with Cheryl's "congratulations" - opening doors are much more easy to bear than a kick in the ass!
Kim -- it would have been strange if she were writing a story about 12 Monkeyes Bwaa ha ha ha!
Great present mom. I have heard of the Pink Floyd and Wiz of Oz effect but haven't tried it. Probably have to be enkiightened to enjoy it. Not sure.
Wonderful, heartwarming post for this Sunday morning. I hope you can stop working soon. Then you can investigate ra bliss and Eric can give you all his money to spend. And you will be less tired out. Still, fighting the good fight, obviously! Hotboy
I know what you mean, when everything turns to crap at work, the students are pure gold and healing.
What sort of movie goes with Echoes from Meddle, my favourite? Porn probably.
Aww, how sweet! I'm sure he had a good time folding because it was his idea.
Unemployed? Sounds like a good time to get rolling on the floral business. That's something you could do from home.
...If your sanity could take that much home time.
Post a Comment